Lateral-Cavity Design for Long-Wavelength Vertical-Cavity Lasers

Abstract:For more than a decade, long-wavelength vertical-cavity lasers (VCLs) for fiber-optic applications are subject of intense research efforts. GaAs-based VCLs emitting at shorter wavelength (0.85-micron) have been commercialized successfully; however, the challenge of transferring this technology to 1.3 and 1.55-micron wavelength is often underestimated. Several VCL design concepts are currently competing to meet telecommunication specifications. One of the main problems is the demonstration of high-power single-optical-mode operation at elevated ambient temperature. Both mode and temperature stability strongly depend on the type of aperture layer used for lateral confinement of the VCL micro-cavity. Our paper presents a comparison of different aperture designs based on advanced quasi-3D numerical device simulation.